A pearmain, also formerly spelled "permain", is a type of

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...

. The name may once have been applied to a particular variety of apple that kept well, although in more modern times its inclusion in varietal names was, like the term 'Pippin', "largely decoration"Smith, A. W. (1963) ''A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins'', p.40 rather than indicating any shared qualities. The original 'Pearmain' variety has not been conclusively identified and may now be extinct.

Etymology and history

There has been some debate over the origin of the name "pearmain". The

pomologist Pomology (from Latin , “fruit,” + ) is a branch of botany that studies fruit and its cultivation. The term fruticulture—introduced from Romance languages (all of whose incarnations of the term descend from Latin and )—is also used. Pomo ...

Robert Hogg suggested that it originated in mediaeval times from ''pyrus magnus'', "great

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...

", and referred to a type of apple having a large pear-like shape.Hogg, R. (1851) ''British Pomology'', London: Groombridge, p.209 Hogg believed that the variety 'Winter Pearmain' was both "the original of all the Pearmains" and the oldest recorded variety of apple in England, with evidence it was cultivated in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

in c.1200. Other sources suggest that the name "pearmain" was in fact originally used for a type of pear, and was first applied to apples only during the 16th century.Ayto (2012) ''The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink'', OUP, p.400 It has been suggested the word was derived from

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...

''pearmain'' and possibly ultimately from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

''parmensia'' "of

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...

", though the latter is probably

folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...

. The third and most likely derivation, by the

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...

Ernest Weekley Ernest Weekley (27 April 1865 – 7 May 1954) was a British philologist, best known as the author of a number of works on etymology. His ''An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English'' (1921; 850 pages) has been cited as a source by most author ...

, also suggests the term was originally applied to pears, but that it came from

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...

''parmain'', ''permain'', derived from Old French ''parmaindre'' "to endure", and referred to the long keeping qualities of some varieties.Weekley (1921) ''An etymological dictionary of modern English'', v2, p.1057 Rejecting the etymology from ''parmensia'', Weekley noted that 17th-century references to a "pompire" or "pyramalum" (i.e. an "apple-pear") suggested that the original 'Pearmain' apple was named for some quality associated with the pearmain pear; i.e. hardness and long keeping ability.Weekley (1926) ''Words Ancient and Modern'', J. Murray, p.82

'Pearmain' cultivars

Shape: C = Conical, Ob = Oblong, Ov = Ovate, R = Round, COb = Conical oblong, ROv = Roundish ovate, ROb = Roundish oblate, ObOv = Oblongovate Pearmain apple cultivars from England *

Adams Pearmain Adams Pearmain, also called Adam's Parmane, is a cultivar of apple. It was introduced to the Horticultural Society of London in 1826 by Robert Adams, under the name Norfolk Pippin. The fruit is large, varying from two and a half inches to thr ...

(syn. Norfolk Pippin) * Augustus Pearmain C *Balchin's Pearmain * Baxters Pearmain ROv * Benwell's Pearmain C * Bristol Pearmain * Cherry Pearmain R * Christmas Pearmain * Claygate Pearmain * Federal Pearmain R * Foulden Pearmain (syn. Horrex's Pearmain) Ov *Golden Pearmain (syn. Ruckman's Pearmain) C * Golden Winter Pearmain (syn. King of the Pippins) C * Grange's Pearmain (syn. Granges Pippin) * Hormead Pearmain (syn. Arundel Pearmain, Hormead Pippin) R * Hubbard's Pearmain (syn. Russet Pearmain, Golden Vining, Hammon's Permain) * Kilkenny Pearmain * King Charles Pearmain * Lamb Abbey Pearmain * Laxton's Pearmain * London Pearmain * Mannington's Pearmain * Mickleham Pearmain ROv *

Old Pearmain Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

* Oxnead Pearmain (syn. Earl of Yarmouth's Pearmain) C * Parrys Pearmain Ov * Ribston Pearmain ROb * Royal Pearmain (syn. Herefordshire Pearmain, Hertfodshire Pearmain) * Rushock Pearmain C * Russet Table Pearmain ObOv * Scarlet Pearmain(syn. Bell's Scarlet Pearmain Hood's Seedling, Oxford Peach) C * Summer Pearmain, (syn. Autumn Pearmain) C * Tibbett´s Pearmain C * Vale Mascal Pearmain R * Wickham's Pearmain (syn. Week Pearmain) * Winter Pearmain C *

Worcester Pearmain 'Worcester Pearmain' is an early season English cultivar of domesticated apple, that was developed in Worcester, England, by a Mr. Hale of Swanpool in 1874.White Winter Pearmain The 'White Winter Pearmain' apple cultivar, also known as 'White Pearmain' and 'Cambellite', is a dessert apple that has been known since before 1850. References Apple cultivars {{apple-fruit-stub ...

C *Winthrop Pearmain Pearmain cultivars from Germany * Henzens Parmäne C * Maibiers Parmäne * Schwarzenbachs Parmäne COb * Strawalds Neue Goldparmäne

Present status of 'Old Pearmain' variety

There have been many efforts to identify the original 'Pearmain' apple, of supposedly mediaeval origin. Hogg suggested the 'Winter Pearmain' to be the original, and synonymous with the 'Old Pearmain', though S. A. Beach, in his work ''Apples of New York'', noted that "several different varieties" had been propagated in America and England under the name 'Winter Pearmain' and that in many descriptions "it is impossible to determine which Winter Pearmain the writer had in mind".Beach, S. A. (1905) ''The Apples of New York'', v2, p.379 By contrast, Hogg believed the apple identified in some catalogues of the time as 'Old Pearmain' to in fact be a variety called 'Royal Pearmain'.Hogg (1851), p.175 Hogg later claimed to have identified the "true Old Pearmain" growing in the

Dymock Dymock is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England, about four miles south of Ledbury. In 2014 the parish had an estimated population of 1,205. Dymock is the origin of the Dymock Red, a cider appl ...

area.Hogg (1884) ''The Fruit Manual'', p.169 The current 'Old Pearmain' in the National Fruit Collection was received in 1924 from a Mr. Kelsey in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

, but is probably neither Hogg's variety nor the ancient 'Pearmain'.Morgan and Richards (2002) ''The New Book of Apples'', Ebury, p.248

References

{{apples Apple cultivars